Desperation
by xXRandomnessPrevailsXx
Summary: Eiji was there, yet he wasn't. Then suddenly, he was gone altogether. Some time later, a girl appears and it seems like she knows something about his disappearance, and more still about his reasons why. Oishi has to find out; he doesn't want their friendship to vanish so completely... the way Fuji did.
1. Prologue

**An AU story of sorts. It takes place in a different world than that of Twists, but exists within the same space as Lying to the Present. It's got a darker feel to it, but all that will be cleared in time.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Oishi Syuuichiro knew he was crazy. Insane. Absolutely mad. It was only a dream that something could last forever without fading, an impossible hope that perpetuity would exist. No person could remain so happy after five-going-on-six entire years of being a Doubles team. No Doubles team could ever last that long without complications between its partners.

The Golden Pair had lost its luster and only glimmered in its former glory.

Kikumaru Eiji was rarely ever the enthusiastically spastic cat-boy he once was.

And they _definitely_ weren't best friends anymore.

* * *

The first day of senior year in high school. The last year to be a Doubles team with Eiji. The last chance to rekindle their dwindling friendship.

The first day to see Eiji after the red-head had purposefully avoided him during the two weeks of Spring Break.

Oishi knew he was being clingy, that he was being nothing but a nuisance to Eiji. But he wanted to prove that he wanted to still be friends with the Acrobat, much to the latter's dismay. Starting their freshmen year of high school, Eiji had been putting more and more distance between them, attempting to sever what once-indestructible ties they had. He lost his rumored eternal pep, the shine in his eyes that proclaimed, "I'm Eiji, this is Oishi, we're the Golden Pair, and we're gonna kick your ass, nya!"

It was as though Eiji had suddenly died and there was a boy who looked exactly like him in his place. Once in a while, Eiji would return from wherever he disappeared to in high school's freshmen year and pester Oishi just like he used to. When that happened, the tennis team was put at ease. It calmed the nerves that already affected them because of Fuji's disappearance.

Oishi had often pondered if Fuji's sudden withdrawal and disappearance had anything to do with Eiji's change in behavior, if it had everything to do with Eiji's behavior. He wondered if Eiji had been in love with that blue-eyed tensai, but Eiji sadly stated that he had simply lost an important sibling. Still, Fuji's absence affected him somehow.

It wasn't fair; in the span of the scant two weeks between ninth and tenth grade, three people had become lost to him. The first was Echizen, who had flown back to America for his eighth grade year. The second was Fuji Syuusuke, once a sadist and technician to the team. The third was his best friend, replaced by a shattered being held together with a desperation for the answers. The answers to what, exactly, were unclear, but the need to find them was evident to Oishi.

He was worried, to say the least.

* * *

**And thus ends the prologue. A bit of a drabble that first popped into my head when I got the initial idea for this story. Coming soon will be its sister story, featuring Tezuka and (the lack of) Fuji. I haven't decided a name for it yet...**

**Look forward for the next chapter!**

**~Randomness  
**


	2. Doe Eyes

**I don't really have anything to say at this point. Uh... Enjoy?**

* * *

**Doe Eyes**

For Oishi, the second day of Senior year started out as it had per usual since Freshman year; wake up, get ready for school, eat breakfast, go to school, greet team members, and lastly try to find Eiji before tennis practice started.

It was a bit of a hassle, having to hunt down his best friend so he couldn't just vanish without speaking a word to Oishi. It almost seemed as though he were trying to follow in Fuji's footsteps, planning to just one day cease his existence without anyone's knowledge. The scariest thing about Eiji leaving like that was the fact that even Inui couldn't compute from any of his data and evidence that Fuji would fade away into hiding.

In those few precious minutes he had until practice, Oishi scoured the school up and down for any hint of a red-headed cat-boy. The occasional 'hi' drifted to his ears as he trudged through hallways, passing by classmates and fangirls alike. Coming to the end of the last hallway on the third floor, Oishi sighed deeply. He hadn't found his Doubles partner after all, just like the previous two years. How long would it be until he could finally see his old friend jumping around and grinning stupidly again? Eiji hadn't even been spotted amongst the third years at the opening ceremony the day previous. The end of the hallway approached and reverberated Oishi's solemn footsteps. There was a bathroom there, so he figured he might as well take advantage of it. Nearing the boys' lavatory, the door next to it opened suddenly, and a girl rammed herself into Oishi with tremendous force. The volley specialist was startled, to say the least, when he found himself sitting on the ground and being helped up by a spirited girl with short, coppery russet hair.

"Sorry about that," she chirped. "I was in a bit of a hur—"

She stopped short as Oishi glanced up at her with a confused expression. "Are you alright?" he fussed. "Did you get hurt anywhere? Should I escort you to the infirmary?" Oishi took her face in his hands, making her stare directly at him to ensure her complexion wasn't paling or her eyes weren't dilated. Subconsciously, he noted her fair skin, unmarked by acne and gleaming healthily, not a trace of makeup in sight. Plump rosebud lips were colored a muted pink, set below an elfin nose and a pair of pointedly mischievous doe eyes a shade darker than white-silver. Her eyebrows were thin and delicate, so much so that they could only be achieved through natural endowment.

_Her eyes and hair… She looks so much like Eiji._

The girl's face paled ever so slightly in his hands and her eyes clinched shut to avoid Oishi's emerald own. Brushing away his loosened grip with her arm, she ducked her head and fled from him, turning the corner to avoid pursuit. Regardless, Oishi's mind was plagued with questions about her. One in particular recurred to him:

_Can she help me find him?_

* * *

Throughout the day, Oishi was noticeably restless. All through tennis practice, he made mistakes and missed shots either completely or scored them out. Even when Tezuka, still perplexed by the circumstances to Fuji's disappearance, ordered the volley specialist 50 laps to clear his head, he finished without a complaint and accidentally took a swig from an old bottle of Inui Juice that had been left out. Unawares of his blunder or his teammates' appall, he continued through the day as though he hadn't had the most vile culinary horror in existence. No, he couldn't afford to concentrate his thoughts on anything else, not even the tennis he held so dear to his heart. Perhaps the girl from the hallway knew where Eiji always vanished to these days. If he could get in contact with Eiji, then he could figure out what exactly had been making him act strangely. Then they'd come to grips with the problem as a team, like they had been doing since middle school. Eiji would come back to practices, and somehow the team would be able to pull their act together enough to win back the Nationals title that had eluded them since their 9th grade year.

OK, so maybe he wouldn't be able to accomplish necessarily all of that, but he could at the very least learn where Eiji had been hiding, right? It was of the utmost priority to figure out, even if it meant running laps for the remainder of his senior year. And while he pondered that, a single face broke his rumination.

_Eiji?_

Oishi blinked a couple times to ensure he wasn't hallucinating. Instead, his hopeful eyes found the girl he had run into outside the lavatory. He stopped mid-lap, noticing she was approaching him. She drew closer, glaring at him with sleek, stardust orbs.

_What—no! You only just met her, stupid hormonal teenager brain! Focus on asking her if she knows Eiji!_

His internal monologue and refocused intentions did little to calm her steady glower. With the question burning on the tip of his tongue, he opened his mouth to speak. But she beat him to the punch.

"Leave me alone."

Oishi stared her blankly, confused. She turned on her heel away from him, trekking away in speed. He broke out of his daze and jogged to catch up with her.

"Wait!" he called. "Why?" The girl with copper-red hair glanced over her shoulder at him, never dropping her pace, and answered curtly.

"Because I know who you're looking for."

"What does that have to do with anything?" By this time, Oishi had caught up and matched his stride to hers. She came to an abrupt stop, her stardust doe eyes piercing his viridescent ones.

"I'll end up spilling what I know if you talk to me… and I can't tell you about him," she said. Another answer was elicited when she saw Oishi's inquisitive frown. "About where he is and why he's not here."

A few moments passed in silence, pressing her to resume on her way. Eyes wide and imagination wild, Oishi voiced his resolve.

"I'm going to find out what you're hiding some day! And I WILL find him using the information I get!"

The girl walked on without pause, shaking her head, letting the breeze carry a whispered message on to the desperate boy.

_"You can't find someone who no longer exists."_

* * *

**So yeah. This fic is more of a drabble in terms of length (in my definition) and is a lot more straight to the point than my other fics will be, the exception being its soon-to-be-written/posted sister story: Selfish.**


	3. Expidition

**Next chapter! But really the only reason I could update it this soon is because I already wrote most of this chapter out before I even posted this fic. I'll do my best to update often and get Princes' Email up and running again!**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

**Expedition**

After sharing the girl's warning with his teammates in the locker room, it was unanimously agreed that tennis practice would be discontinued until the girl cooperated and Kikumaru Eiji was found. Some time later, Tezuka accessed the school's database—a skill that Inui had taught them all in case of "emergencies"—to find out all he could about her immediately, by no means of Inui's usual tactics due to the peculiar absence of that particular Data Man. What the Buchou found could hardly be considered helpful; so little information was provided that they had to turn to Osakada Tomoka for aid. Though loud and admittedly obnoxious at times, her methods of verifying intelligence learned through gossip was quick and highly effective. It was of the utmost importance to enlist her assistance straightway.

As such, the Regulars spent lunch tracking down their only hope to finding a lead. They entered freshman class 1-2 when a girl with shoulder-length russet hair bristled past the bunch, shouting indignantly over her shoulder.

"You could be dead for all _I _care, you _ass!"_

Surprised, the two Juniors and three Seniors stared after her, watching her figure storm down the hall and around the bend, a rat-tail they hadn't noticed trailing behind her in a messy braid. Curious as to who could have made her stomp away so violently, they peered into the classroom only to be shocked even further at who stood before them.

"E-Echizen?" Momo sputtered. "How— When— Why— Then who…?" He pointed in bewilderment at a clock hanging on a wall, next the ground, then the hallway the girl disappeared down, and finally at the America-raised boy with a large gasp (1). "YOU made her mad!"

"U-un," the Prince replied. He looked as though he had taken an unexpected blow to the gut, amber eyes betraying the distant confusion—and was that guilt?—he tried to hide behind an indifferent façade. "I didn't know Ryuuzaki was capable of being furious." Five pairs of eyes momentarily forgot the task at hand and gawked at him incredulously.

"_That_ was Ryuuzaki-san?" Kawamura choked.

Ignoring the question, Echizen trudged back to his desk, sinking into the seat with a sigh. "Great way to spend my first day back in Japan," he muttered unintelligibly. A second girl with dark hair pulled into a high ponytail and a mole under her right eye patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"Cheer up, Ryoma-san," she comforted, "A lot happened in Sakuno's life since you were here last time, but… It's not your fault. Not entirely, anyway."

She turned her attention to the Regulars, her identity finally dawning upon them. "Hey, sempai-tachi. It's been a while! How've you been?"

"Osakada," Kaidoh hissed, "we need you to find some information. Come with us." A quick glance around the room told her that too many uninvolved ears were prying in on the conservation. A glimpse of Echizen's already bewildered expression caused her to drag the Prince by his arm so he would follow.

Osakada led them into the hall and a ways down the corridors until they reached a relatively unpopulated area. "Who do you need?" she demanded. Tezuka pulled up a profile picture of the girl Oishi had talked to, only serving to frustrate Echizen even further. He was having the worst day of his life; why the hell did his sempai-tachi force him into their little game of hide-and-seek? He didn't know what was going on, and he had his _own_ dilemmas to sort out, like why Ryuuzaki—of all the people—had acted like she did. That girl who had blown up at him wasn't the shy and sweet tennis player he remembered from his departure after 7th grade.

"Why am _I _here?" he spat.

"Echizen, look around you," Momoshiro prompted solemnly. "_We_ are what's left of the Champions Seigaku.

"Two years ago, when sempai-tachi were Freshmen in high school, Fuji-sempai wasn't there with them. No warning, no notices, no 'see you later's, _nothing_. He was just… gone. We tried finding Yuuta to act as a medium between us and Fuji-sempai, but we can't even get within a meter of _any_ St. Rudolph's kids without them running off we're like the freakin' devil. His email's shut down, cell phone disabled, old school records missing, mail addressed to him is returned to the sender… It's like he just _disappeared_.

"At that same time, Kikumaru-sempai started to drift away from the team. He showed up to practices, but he never smiled or talked to anyone. Once in a while he'd bounce back, but… Lately we haven't been able to find him. Oishi-sempai's been looking the hardest for him, but he's hardly home or in class. He's been ignoring calls and texts from all of us, and we haven't been able to spot him once since the end of last school year."

"What about Inui-sempai, then?" Echizen asked, trying to make sense of all he'd been told. "He can't have just vanished either."

"He might as well have," Tezuka spat bitterly. "Before I met with you to find Osakada, I checked in room 3-11 to see if Inui had come to school or not. He let his guard down."

Before the Prince could request a clarification, the sounds of static and the screeching of a microphone reverberated throughout the school. A silky baritone cleared his throat over the loudspeaker.

"Ah, hello. This is Inui. Tezuka, I sent the withdrawal application already. It should be with the old hag since I couldn't find you. Cheerio~" A click indicated the end of the message.

A somber air filled the small space they occupied. Tezuka looked as though he'd been shot, left alive but only just. Kawamura's eyes started to dull in shine, the melancholy of loss replacing where used to lie passion for a sport and the warmth of boundless friendship. Oishi stared irritatedly at the window, where some students had gathered for lunch on the grass, searching for something, _anything,_ unrelentlessly. The Juniors glanced at each other briefly, not a word or even a spark of animosity exchanged between them. Compared to how dysfunctional the Champions Seigaku were now, their old rivalry seemed dim and petty. Only Osakada looked him in the eye, her silence confirming how grave this entire ordeal was for the remaining members. Some moments passed in stifling quiet, broken by Oishi after an amount of time akin to a year.

"We need Osakada-san to investigate someone for us because I ran into a girl who said she knows something about Eiji's whereabouts," he reported. "The only problem is that the girl won't cooperate, and we have to find something that'll give us the upper hand."

The bell chose the opportune moment to chime, signaling the end of lunch.

"I'll find out what I can and get back to you at the end of the day, sempai-tachi," Osakada said. With that, she left in a brisk walk back to class 1-2. Echizen, still piecing together what details had been crammed into his mind, followed her, matching her pace in hopes of being able to catch Ryuuzaki. The other Regulars left in the same manner, wishing that somehow everything would fall back into the places they belonged.

* * *

Oishi could honestly say that he was, for the first time since Freshman year, very excited about what he had hoped would be good news after school. Subsequent to lunch break, he'd had to suffer through Pre-Calculus and Civil Education; all that was required of him was to wait a few more minutes until the end of Historical Geography. He stared blankly at a poorly drawn representation of Japan and it various kingdoms during the Feudal Era. The sensei in charge of the lecture droned on about a small border dispute that had happened in a year that didn't register in his mind. The words began to run together and metamorphose into a collective murmur before losing volume to complete, null silence in his mind.

_Pi~n pa~n po~n_

The bell chimed cheerfully, causing Oishi to grab his bag and stand up in such a rush that he nearly knocked over his desk in the process. Regaining his composure, he left the room at the same velocity he had attempted beforehand, hurriedly making his way over to Freshmen class 1-2 in order to be briefed on what Osakada Tomoka had to report.

In a short amount of time, he found himself finally leaning against the teacher's podium in 1-2, standing impatiently with the other five Regulars that were involved. The door slid open and Osakada announced her apologies for being late—she'd had to deal with a verbose rant from Ryuuzaki, which only made Ryoma's face darken and heart sink.

"I couldn't find out much considering you only gave me three hours to work. But I also didn't find much considering there wasn't much work to _do._" Blank gazes from the congregation. Osakada heaved a sigh; this would be difficult to lay down quickly.

"I'm saying there wasn't even that much information to gather anyway," she explained. "The girl you're looking for is Reien Mika. Reien-san doesn't belong to any clubs and has a B to B+ average in her grades. Sadly, she doesn't have any friends because she's hard to approach, doesn't like to socialize with people, and can disappear in a heartbeat if you look away for not even a second. It was extremely hard to tail her, but I was able to keep up with her until she left campus. Reien-san leaves the main building using the back entrance by the staff lounge and janitor's closet, then waits until most everyone's gone to leave through the front gate. All I could get after that is she makes a left and doesn't take any turns."

Oishi considered the information he'd just been told. There was only a very slight chance that he'd be able to catch up the girl, Reien Mika, but he shook his head and decided that his pursuit would have to wait the next day. He only hoped that his endeavors would be successful on the first attempt—if any complications occurred tomorrow, which was a Friday, he'd have to bide his time over the weekend until Monday afternoon rolled around. Oishi doubted his sanity or patience would hold out until then, and he made it a point to drill his plan of action into his head.

His solitary return home was clouded with the possibilities of uncovering what Reien-san meant by her words.

_Eiji couldn't really… _not exist_, could he?_

* * *

Ryoma scowled as he began to trudge on his path back home. _That girl_ he had met today... She couldn't possibly be the real Ryuuzaki Sakuno, could she? The only Sakuno that existed within the boundaries of his mind was the kind, shy, stuttering girl he had left while his parents fixed things with Ryoga back in the States.

He frowned. It wasn't his fault that he'd had to leave Japan. He hadn't wanted to, but that opinion had no hold in his house. The past two years he'd been gone were painful for him; didn't she realize that? That's why he'd told her that he'd _see her later_. Echizen Ryoma—no matter how much he was reluctant to say aloud—had _missed_ Ryuuzaki Sakuno. Every day he'd wait out agonizingly, wishing to see her face, to run his fingers through the russet strands he'd claimed as _his_, to hear her soft, sweet voice...

On the contrary, the 10th grader who called herself Ryuuzaki Sakuno was cold, distant, and rude. She didn't bother to feed herself properly, taking tidbits of others' lunches here and there. She was no longer in need of advice that would improve her skills in tennis; it would be troublesome, after all, if the Buchou of the girls' team wasn't adroit. Her form was graceful and without unnecessary movement or waste of breath. What had once been plaited in lengthy streams of russet was cropped roughly to no longer than her shoulders, a lone rat-tail serving as a reminder of her old self.

And as made quite obvious to him by what she shrieked at him when she departed, she neither liked him nor cared for him as she used to. Ryuuzaki Sakuno hated him and would have been better off if he were _dead_.

A dull fire lit within the aching of his longing. He wanted to learn _everything_ that had happened since his departure.

He wanted to know what had changed his adorable girl.

* * *

Oishi had survived as he impatiently willed the day to drudge on faster than it had. He packed his belongings into his school bag and hurried, desperate to catch a glimpse of the ever-elusive Reien Mika.

A scant thirty minutes later, he found himself tailing her secretively, so as to not be caught. He blushed at the childish task he had forced himself into. Couldn't he just talk to her like any civilized person would? Yet, when he recalled the harsh bluntness of her words, he decided against it. Absentmindedly, he mused about the destination to which this little journey would take him. It felt oddly familiar to be trekking, rather sneaking, upon this path. It brought him an uncomfortably reminiscent feeling. He glanced around cautiously, maintaining a safe distance from Reien-san while trying to discern his exact whereabouts. A scowl crossed his face; he couldn't quite remember where he was or why it looked so familiar. Oishi would only be able to pin his reasonings when Reien-san finally arrived at her destination.

She had unknowingly led him to the Kikumaru household.

Broken out of his stupor, Oishi called out to her. "Reien-san!" He rushed to meet the girl, but she rushed in equal haste to produce a key to the gate from her bag.

"I need to talk to you," the volley specialist requested, but she ignored his whims and opened the gate with a click. "Please! This is important!" he pleaded.

"Go away!" Mika demanded. She shoved the gate to the Kikumaru household shut, bolting for the front door. Oishi gripped the wrought iron barrier tightly with both fists and hoisted himself onto his stomach, leaning over as far as he could.

"No! I need to know why Eiji's gone and where he is! You and I both know he's still around, and I'm not going anywhere until you tell me the truth!"

Mika had the doorknob in her hand already, prepared to twist it and disappear indoors. But she paused, glaring back at the volley specialist over her shoulder. "What I'm hiding _does _ have everything to do with Eiji, but how are you so sure you're involved? As far as you're concerned, it might be absolutely none of your damned business!"

The door opened partway and she stepped inside, making a concious effort to slam the door, the click of the lock resonating somberly in to the afternoon rays in the neighborhood. With a sigh, Oishi heaved himself off the gate and pressed his forehead against the warm metal.

The ringing his head about her words and the confusion as to where Eiji was almost made him miss the quiet creaking of the same door Reien-san had slammed. Upon realizing the sound, he snapped his head up, hoping to see her with a change of heart. Instead, he was met by the soft gray-blue eyes of a woman he recognized to be Eiji's mother. He straightened up and tried to apologize for loitering. "Kikumaru-san—!"

"Shh, Shuichirou-kun, it's alright. I'm not too sure what went on between you two, but I hope you can make up. Ei-chan has always been so stubborn, and that hasn't stopped you from being friends beofre. I'm sure Ei-chan will come to terms with you, okay?"

Oishi waved his silent 'goodbye's and felt his heart lighten; it was still heavy with disappointment, but now he had hope. Eiji still wanted to be friends, but something was wrong. He just had to work out _what_.

After all, Kikumaru-san had _always_ been right when it came to the Acrobat, her 'Ei-chan'.

* * *

**(1) Momoshiro is confused, even to the point where he begins pointing at things he's questioning. Then he realizes Echizen's in trouble (with a GIRL) and pokes fun at him for it.**


	4. Strive

**I'm extremely sorry for not updating in... ever. I got thrown for tons of loops since July. Like my dad getting shipped off to Captain School and my moving to another country in a little over two months.**

**But I hope that you guys can still enjoy the story! It won't be so angst-y from the end of this chapter on, so please stick around for the things I've got planned!**

* * *

**Strive**

"So let me get this straight," said Momoshiro, massaging his temples. "This Mika chick lives at Eiji-sempai's?" This new information was not only difficult to believe, but also incredibly important.

Oishi sighed. "Yes... So she is definitely in the loop about where Eiji is. The only problems are she won't tell me and she's exceedingly uncooperative." He had gathered the remainders of the Regulars in the club room for a discussion on what he had experienced the day previous. Ideas about what could be happening were being thrown around, debated, shot down, and considered.

But Tezuka remained distant, Echizen distracted. It seemed that the only ones focused on finding the other half of the Golden Pair were Momoshiro, Kaidoh, Kawamura, and Oishi himself. None of them dared say anything about their Buchou or their _kouhai_, however; their own life dilemmas were beginning to take a toll on them.

Tezuka was baffled by how such a thing could have happened to what once was the greatest tennis team in the country. Reaching Fuji was hard enough as it was; going into the third year without contact meant any remaining hopes were dwindling. He didn't _want_ to give up... He wanted answers, still. Answers to why the _tensai_ disappeared so suddenly and completely. But finding Fuji was almost officially a lost cause. Tezuka just didn't want to accept it... Though he knew he would have to eventually.

Echizen left Japan hoping to come back to a girl he dreamed of seeing every moment he was away. He came back to discover that she had grown up and outgrown _him_. She didn't need him anymore, she didn't care for him anymore, she didn't want _anything _to do with him anymore. The friends he had cared for so much were broken and gone. It was like his heart had been aching for pieces not only ripped out, but disintegrated into nothingness. The tennis team had fallen into disrepair; the Champions Seigaku were only something that _once was _and looked to be _never __again._ The title of Champions was honored and respected... Now it held the reminder of an empty shell, something the other teams they used to face against saw as only a distant memory. What had been legend was now to be forgotten. Not only this, but the Girls' Team had taken the spotlight as the school's pride and joy, with none other than the stranger named Ryuuzaki Sakuno its Buchou.

Things were _difficult_ at the very best.

Silence feel upon them as they contemplated about all that occurred. Echizen raised his head off the wall, furrowing his eyebrows. Something didn't sit well with him.

"Isn't it weird, though? How Kikumaru-san acted. She said she hoped you would make up."

Kaidoh hissed, "Your point is?"

The Rookie tugged at his cap, fiddling with the bill. "It sounds like the two of them are just having an argument, from an outsider's point of view." They looked at him; it was odd, but it was the truth.

"Now that you mention, it is a bit weird. Oishi, do you think maybe Kikumaru-san was kept out of what really happened?" Kawamura offered.

The Volley Specialist leaned his head back and closed his eyes. It wasn't likely that Eiji had kept anything from his mother, but it was definitely possible.  
"I'll try going over today to ask. If I'm lucky, I can get her side of the story and find out what happened."

"Alright, it's a plan!" Momoshiro exclaimed decidedly. Any spark, no matter how miniscule, still ignited hope within them. "Off to class, the bell's about to ring." They picked up their bags and shuffled out the door quietly, a bit more optimistic for the future.

Oishi was about to leave himself when he felt someone grip his shoulder. He turned to face Tezuka, who looked determined. _That's new, _Oishi thought.

"Oishi, don't let your guard down. There's a reason Kikumaru didn't tell you anything and there's a reason Reien-san isn't cooperating, but I wish you the best of luck." The Buchou strode away with more confidence in his step than Oishi had seen in months. If he could get anything about Eiji or get Reien to work with him, it would boost his spirits in regards to finding Fuji.

Maybe then they would have a fighting chance at getting Inui back from his idle sidequests.

* * *

The day trickled by in an agonizingly slow fashion. Oishi could barely contain himself; he—no, the whole team—was _this _much closer to finding Eiji. But he had to keep him mind busy in the meantime, since Pre-Calculus wasn't registering in the slightest. (Nor did he see any real benefit from memorizing how to find _c _using 1 over _m _ and _c _over 1 equals _x._) He set on structuring a way to ask Eiji's mother the questions that weighed so heavily on everyone's minds and his own heart. But that wasn't the only thing he had to ask about; he also had some inquiries on the identity of Reien Mika and her ties to the Kikumaru clan.

The bell chimed. Oishi stumbled over his feet, nearly knocking his desk over in the process. Again. He had to hurry if he wanted to beat Mika to the Kikumaru house, though he knew she would begin her voyage there a half hour after he had departed. Still, if he was to clear everything, he had to ensure he had a sufficient amount of time to do it.

He raced through the familiar pathways and streets to the Kikumaru residence, his lungs threatening to burst as he broke into a sprint. The raw, vague taste of iron greeted him, reminiscent of blood. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins, pumping madly, fingers pulsing. His legs felt awkward due to misuse; he hadn't bothered to practice properly since the Nationals, usually held in the upcoming July and August, were cancelled.

The Seigaku team had practically fallen apart. They had lost four of their Champions, teetering on a fifth because Kawamura had had a dispute with his father about staying on the team or running the shop. Their spirits were broken, and so they had decided not to enter the tournament at all when July came. Their old rivals had decided to compete without them at first, but all backed off for the reason that "nothing is as challenging as those hard-headed idiots." Without the top seeds in the run, the other contenders eventually withdrew as well, and the Nationals, though a good two-three months away, were cancelled altogether due to a lack of teams. Oishi frowned. _This_ had caused so many people a lot of hardships, and he couldn't help but feel responsible. Wasn't there anything more he could have done to keep Eiji from drifting away?

In the span of what seemed like only seconds, Oishi was ringing the doorbell that stood outside the gate. Kikumaru-san poked her head out to see who the visitor was, bustling over when she realized it was Oishi, who was out of breath.

"Shuichirou-kun, what are you doing here so soon after school ended? Ei-chan's not even home yet."

_Not home _yet?

Oishi stood straight, having been bent over to catch his breath. He furrowed his brows. "What do you mean by—"

But before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted as an unknown force slammed into his side and shoved him onto his back. The Volley Specialist clenched his eyes shut, waiting for the impact of his hands against the ground. Pressure was applied to his face, and he looked to see what the hell had just happened.

Reien Mika was straddling his waist, covering his mouth and scowling at him. Bewilderment was taken over by a blush that settled onto his cheeks, a bright and rosy hue. Reien-san turned to Kikumaru-san and smiled sweetly. "It's nothing, he's just playing! Can you make apple rabbits (1) for me please?" Confused but understanding, the older woman nodded uncertainly and headed back inside.

Reien pushed herself off Oishi, not bothering to help him up as she preoccupied herself with fixing her own appearance. Her ragged breaths told Oishi that she had seen him and pursued him in order to cut him short. "You," she snapped.

Oishi gazed down at her, scowling. He was _this _close to knowing what was going on. "_Me?_" he spat back. "If anyone's got a right to be pissed off, it's me! I was almost there, about to know what the hell is even going on anymore, and you barge in and botch everything!"

"That's why I stopped you, Oishi! When you find out, you're going to wish you never knew anything in the first place!"

"Oh, really now?" He shuffled his hands into his pockets in a coolly sarcastic manner, despite the sweat on his palms from the afternoon sun. "And who told you I was better off not knowing?"

Reien-san rolled her eyes at him and reached for the gate, beginning her escape indoors. "The one who told me was Eiji—"

"Of course he told you," he scoffed. "He tells you _everything_ nowadays, doesn't he? He tells you to keep us away, tells you to keep shut about where he is, and tells you to make sure we never know the truth! Is that it?"

"No!" She was shouting now. "Well, yes, but you don't know the reasons _why!_"

"Pray tell, what _are_ his reasons?" sneered Oishi. "Whatever they are, they had better be good!"

"I can't tell you!" Reien argued. "Telling you would ruin everything!"

"Oh, like not telling me, not telling the _team_ hasn't ruined _anything?_ If that's why he's keeping mum, then he's being a goddamned prick and I'm sorry I even bothered to try!" Oishi bellowed. He turned on his heel and stormed off to his own abode, each step heavy with frustration. His mind swirled blankly, anger wiping every other thought away.

He left behind Reien, a hand tightening around the gate, face pale, lip quivering. She blinked quickly, trying to fight back tears. She hadn't meant to get into an argument with him at all, just... What _had _she been trying to do? She hoped they would stop trying to find Eiji after she delivered her warning; she hadn't counted on them getting fired up.

But it had happened, and her eyes stung, heart in turmoil. She had to keep her promises.

"It's better this way, trust me."

* * *

Later that day found Oishi mulling over his words and sulking over what he had done. He'd just gotten into an argument with perhaps the only person who knew the full backstory behind Eiji's disappearance! At worst, he ruined their only chance of getting even one of three stray Regulars back.

And though he wasn't too sure due to the blood pounding in his ears, he thought he heard faint sniffling from where Reien-san had stood.

Cripes, he didn't... did he? Another sigh breathed past his lips as Oishi racked his brains for the following course of action. He was certain he could never accomplish anything if all decisions were left to him; the input of the others was required.

Oishi heaved himself off the bed, where he had been lying prostrate, and slumped onto the chair of his desk. Pulling open his laptop, he waited for it to load up his homepage and sent a brief text to the five remaining Regulars. He had contemplated the need to have Osakada aid them, but pushed the notion aside for the future, not wanting to bother her unnecessarily.

_Chatroom: Moon Volley ASAP. Need help._

Oishi had no qualms about their curiosity; his text was puzzling and would lead to much conjecture. He needed them to be online so he could explain the afternoon's altercation and possibly get their help—given they didn't give him hell when he told them of the girl's probable tears. It was crucial to his operation that they have some kind of discussion because the weekend was upon them (2). He didn't want to wait through Saturday and Sunday to gather them without bothering them to come out to meet him somewhere; and if he did, he was fairly certain that he would become overly paranoid and deteriorate his mental stability through overthinking his actions.

His musings ended there, as he put more focus into logging into his account and opening a new chatroom (3). He opted not to use his usual screen name, as the chatroom was his to control and he would allow only those that he knew were his teammates. There was no need to mask identities here.

Only a few seconds had bypassed his boredom when he saw that two others wanted to join; another three seconds for him to open the _Accept Requests_ window and the other three had found the room as well. He accepted them without hesitation—after all, they decided to use their real names, or abbreviations thereof.

_Nice to see you all here, _Oishi typed. He clicked enter and awaited response. A small chime from his device indicated just that.

_Echizen: Cut the crap, Sempai, what's the problem?_

_Tezuka: You wouldn't call us here if it weren't important. How did your interrogation go?  
_

_Momo: Lighten up, Buchou. You make it sound like Oishi-sempai was playing good cop bad cop _(4).

The Volley Specialist frowned, knowing their possible reactions to what he would type next. Unavoidable as it was, he felt a wrench in his gut that told him this would most definitely loop around to kick him in the ass. _She caught me trying to ask Kikimaru-san about Eiji._That wasn't a lie, but it wasn't entirely the truth either. He contemplated telling them straightaway about what he believed to have happened after... Anxiety coursed through his fingers as he tapped on the keys, the clacking of his actions echoing louder than they should have been. _Enter_.

_Oishi: She caught me trying to ask Kikumaru-san about Eiji. We got into an argument, and I left angry. I think she was crying, but I'm not sure._

The wait for their (mostly indignant) responses wasn't long.

_Kawamura: You were just supposed to ask questions! You didn't go over to yell at her!_

_Momo: Sempai, you can't make a girl angry or cry! You just can't!  
_

_Echizen: Honestly, I think I might be better off in my situation than you are in yours. Your goose is cooked _(5).

_Tezuka: Oishi, focus. Stay calm and don't let your guard down._

_Kaidoh: Fukubuchou, if you're not sure about what happened, apologize anyway.__ You don't want Reien-san to hate you.  
_

Well, it wasn't as big a flame as he expected, and that was one of the better occurrences of the entire day thus far. Oishi worked on typing out a thank you to the Junior when a _ping _interrupted his progress.

_Momo: What did you guys argue about anyway?  
_

He cursed to himself. It was inevitable, but he had been hoping to avoid the topic anyway. Oishi deleted all the text he had worked up, then began to explain the events of the afternoon in full detail. His only wish was that his teammates could help him proceed.

* * *

Reien Mika munched on the apple rabbits that Kikumaru-san had left at her door, breathing deeply and calculating the prospects of what would happen between her and the Volley Specialist. She knew better than anyone what he would do and locked her musings away for a later date.

Two days later, on Sunday at 2 p.m., she grinned in silent victory when Kikumaru-san told her she had a call from Oishi Shuichirou.

* * *

3:12 on Sunday afternoon found Oishi nervously wringing his hands, weaving his fingers together and twiddling his thumbs. He rested (however restlessly) against the back of the park bench he was sitting on. He began to tap his fingers on his jean-covered thighs, anxiety clouding his usually clear emerald eyes. Friday night's discussion had led to the general consensus that Oishi invite Reien-san out for an apology, and then he would attempt to salvage any possibilities of learning what secrets she withheld. The Volley Specialist glanced impatiently at his wristwatch, scuffing the toes of his beat up black converse into the dirt beneath his feet. His fingers moved from his legs to the buttons of a green-and-blue plaid shirt over a gray tee, undoing and redoing the silvery fasteners as he pleased. Today, he hadn't bothered to do much with his hair—which he hadn't the mind to trim for approximately four months—and opted to tie a portion back with a scrunchie he'd borrowed from his younger sister.

The din of the weekend crowd waned to a null silence as the thoughts in his mind took control. Any and all efforts to organize his reverie were broken by slight distractions, such as the wanderings to Reien's semblances and feasible similarities they had to Eiji's face. Accepting defeat, he turned his concentration to the girl when the sound of her soft treading reached through his assessment. He sat upright and looked to where she was, surprised to see she had dressed up for their meeting.

"Hey," she greeted, albeit cautiously. Reien's head bobbed down in acknowledgement of Oishi and he stood up to speak with her.

"Um, hi," he responded, attentive to how she reacted. The girl shifted backwards nervously; the Volley Specialist cursed inwardly as he noted this and mirrored her actions, attempting to give her space as to suit her comfort. Yet, he pressed on with: "Look, I'm really, really sorry about what happened the other day. I didn't mean for anything to turn into what it did. I'm just trying to figure out where Eiji is."

In the lack of exchange that filled the space between them, Oishi used the quietude to study her figure, recalling the similarity of her and the Acrobat's eyes.

Reien seemed a little taller than most other girls Oishi knew. Her cinnamon hair was pulled back in a single, strict plait, reminiscent of Ryuuzaki's hair before her drastic personality change. Her lilac star-pattered tank top was accompanied by washed-out Bermudas and plain ballet flats, which—though simple—accentuated the effeminate attributes of her face and flattered the stormy gray of her eyes to a shimmering white-silver.

"I'm sorry, too," the girl sighed. Oishi's gaze homed in on her face in time enough to see the wistful glint of self-torture meshed with dry humor. She ran a hand through her loose hair and met his eyes, a darkness present that cast her image to seem too much like Fuji Shuusuke's scheming self. It made Oishi uncomfortable and bewildered and breathless all the same. "You're working so hard for a tree that will never bear fruit. What I told you is the truth; you can't find someone who no longer exists."

She turned to walk away, shoulder-length curls swaying behind her in a fashion that seemed to mock his state of silence. Oishi struggled to find something that would make her stay and talk more and blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"His mother seems to think otherwise!" he called out. This wasn't exactly a bluff; Kikumaru-san _had_ made a reference to her son, using the same nickname as always, but it was still a risky call to play an uncertain hand. Oishi didn't know if it would have any substantial meaning to Reien, but it was worth a shot.

She pivoted on heel and stared at him with a critical gaze, discerning his comment and the amount of truth behind it. The Volley Specialist shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously and knew immediately that he shouldn't have done so.

"You're... You don't actually know what you're talking about, do you?" Reien asked, sauntering towards him with a leering demeanor. She stopped again as Oishi heaved a sigh.

"I don't know what I'm talking about," he admitted. He tugged at the small ponytail that lay at the nape of his neck, tightening the elastic in place. Even if he was desperate, he couldn't stray from his morals, no matter how much he wanted to.

Reien considered this for a moment. "Are you absolutely sure you need to know the truth so badly?"

"Yes!" Oishi blurted. "I mean, even if you say I'm better off not knowing, at least I can be upset about knowing than never having known at all. I just want to know the truth."

Reien scoffed, mumbling, "Sounds like a cheesy romance scam..." She caught the puzzled gaze Oishi sent her way and waved it off. "I've been hanging out around Yuu—erm, my friend. I've been hanging around her too much. She's rubbing off."

"Anyway, are you reconsidering telling me? Just give me a chance, at least." He hoped the pensive scowl on her face was a positive sign.

"...Yes," Reien relented. "But I have one condition."

"Anything," Oishi offered, eager at the opportunity. "Name it."

* * *

Not three hours later, half of Japan's high school tennis players were thrown into a mixed frenzy of elation and turmoil. This was so sudden, and there was so little time left to pick on the preparations that had been so haphazardly thrown aside.

It had only taken Tezuka two hours to draft a formal apology and re-establish the event plans (because it had only happened recently and the officials were hoping for a change of mind), but none of it really mattered. They had a fighting chance at rebuilding their glory and perhaps even surpassing their former prestige. That was all they needed. That was all Seigaku needed.

The Nationals were back on.

They were going to be Champions.


End file.
